Ronaldinho was twice crowned FIFA World Player of the Year during a distinguished five-year spell at Camp Nou and with Barca fighting Real Madrid for Neymar's signature, the 31-year-old has been advising his compatriot to choose the Catalans.

"He's always been something of a benchmark for me," Neymar told El Mundo Deportivo. "I have always kept in mind the advice of Ronaldinho and he spoke wonders of Barcelona and the city, which he told me is marvellous."

Neymar has been dealing with speculation about his future for the past 18 months and though his Santos contract does not run out until 2014, he admitted "anything can happen", before going on to further talk up the lure of Barca.

"[They] are an excellent team, as everyone knows, and are full of stars," he added.

Neymar is expected to feature for Brazil in their international friendly against Bosnia-Herzegovina in Switzerland on Tuesday night.